The Thailand-US Alliance after the Asian Financial Crisis: The Security Implications of International Economic Policy (2019.11)

• 저자 : Iordanka Alexandrova
• 학술지명 : 동남아시아연구
• 발행처 : 한국동남아학회
• 권호 : 29(4)
• 게재년월 : 2019년 6월
• 국문 초록 : This article explains Thailand’s reduced commitment to the security alliance with the United States (US) in the aftermath of the Asian financial crisis of 1997-98. It argues that the economic pressure Washington applied against Bangkok was the primary cause of the change in Thailand’s policy. In the aftermath of the crisis, the US pushed for economic restructuring in Thailand, which hurt the interests of elite groups in the financial and corporate sectors, and the labor they employed. Fearing future losses, these social actors demanded that the leadership defend their interests against further foreign interference in the domestic economy. Thailand’s bargaining power vis-à-vis the US, however, remained relatively weak due to its excessive reliance for security on the great power ally. To regain policy autonomy, the governments of Chuan Leekpai and Thaksin Shinawatra attempted to minimize security dependency by reducing alliance commitment and investing in alternative strategies to improve Thailand’s own defensive capabilities.

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